Toledo Speedway

(TOLEDO, Ohio - March 22, 2012) - The heart of ARCA's 60th Anniversary Season is quickly approaching, and with that, weekly action at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways will begin. Racing is scheduled to start at the end of April, so along with race promotion and facility preparation, safety is a key priority early in the year.

Saturday, race officials from the two tracks met at Toledo Speedway to cover emergency response procedures for the 2012 season. For some, the course was an eye-opening experience, and for others, a necessary annual refresher after several months without racing.

"As with most track emergency response personnel, these are people that are giving up summer weekends to provide a vital resource to the racers and our tracks," said ARCA president and CEO Ron Drager. "They're conscientious about what they do, so much so that they gave up a weekend day to make sure they're on their game."

Safety officials were given instruction on the use of firefighting and extrication equipment. This year's training session was the first in which a representative from AMKUS Rescue Systems attended. Bill Davis of AMKUS trained officials on the proper use of extrication tools.

AMKUS, an Official Product within the ARCA Safety Initiative, has renewed its presence for the 2012 season.

Mike Hammer of Toledo business Hammer's Towing brought a vehicle for use in rollover training. The car was later used for a cutting display in the tool demonstration.

Ever aspiring to create real, in-race conditions for the training officials, the ARCA Safety Initiative arranged for car rollover training to take place on Turn 3 of Toledo's half-mile oval instead of in the back lot, as had been the case in years past. This, said Jaymee Beard of the Initiative, gives officials a more accurate feel of what such a situation would be like on the track's significant embankment.

In addition to at-track training, ARCA safety officials are certainly qualified in other ways. Every member of the on-track safety team is either a registered emergency medical technician, a certified firefighter, or both.

The ARCA Safety Initiative is the culmination of forward thinking, combined efforts, and the desire to achieve a higher level of responsibility within the safety sector of the ARCA sanctioning body. In all, the Safety Initiative is designed to steer the safety efforts of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, as well as all action at Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway, ARCA's signature track properties.

Six years after its creation, the focus of the ARCA Safety Initiative remains exploring, examining, and reacting to the elements that comprise the safety environment in the sport, as well as ensuring the well-being of those who participate, observe, and manage.

The past half-decade has seen significant improvements regarding driver safety in the sport. The combined and independent efforts of the leading motorsports sanctioning bodies worldwide have brought tremendous advances to the safety of automobile racing.